Walking into this immersive audio-visual experience, it feels a little bit like entering a David Attenborough doco, minus the cinematic visuals, with an added sense like you’re also stepping into The Matrix.
Making its Australian premiere as part of the 23rd Biennale of Sydney, The Great Animal Orchestra is a mesmerising experience of animal sounds recorded in natural habitats around the world and arranged by American pioneer soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause. The immersive soundscape comes to life with colour-coded visualisations, created by United Visual Artists, of each animal's contributions to the ‘orchestra’ in vulnerable habitats in Africa, North America, the Pacific Ocean and the Amazonas.
Created at the initiative of the Fondation Cartier pour L’art Contemporain in Paris, this immersive installation is presented at the Stargazer Lawn, Barangaroo for the duration of the Biennale from March 12 to June 13, 2022.
When it comes to making movies, and a lot of immersive art installations, sound is usually the last element added to the mix. However in this environmentally charged work, audio is the essential central element. The Great Animal Orchestra will take you out of city life and into tropical grasslands, savannas and Arctic tundra for an ‘otherworldly encounter’ with a soundscape of 15,000 animal species recorded over the last 50 years.
After working with musicians including George Harrison and the Doors and creating effects for film scores including Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Bernie Krause turned his back on studio work and headed outdoors to focus on field recording. Krause’s unparallelled research is a rare insight into the unseen world of animals. It reveals the beauty and the intricacy of animal vocalisations, which are now in danger of being silenced by human activity. Through his recording, Krause implores us to start listening before hush descends on the ‘great animal orchestra’.
Housed in a purpose-built structure near the waters of Sydney Harbour, protected from the battering elements of our recent wild weather, this is a meditative experience where sound and light pierces through a pitch-black void and touches your consciousness. The Great Animal Orchestra is free to visit but bookings are required. To get the full experience, set aside an hour and perch yourself on the carpet or available seats. It's open daily from 10am to 5pm, with extended hours on Wednesdays until 9pm.
To make the most of your cultural outing, catch the lift down to the Cutaway at Barangaroo to see more of the Biennale of Sydney and grab a drink at the pop-up bar. If you’re feeling especially adventurous, you can also follow the Biennale to the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Gallery of NSW and the National Art School in Darlinghurst.
